From Conception to Birth: The Forces Responsible for AFCyber's Evolution
Abstract
In 2005, SECAF Wynne and CSAF General Moseley acknowledged the growing threat to national security posed through the cyber domain and recognized the need for the USAF to embrace the still-chaotic world of "cyber." After amending the USAF Mission Statement in 2005, he tasked Lieutenant General Robert Elder, 8 AF/CC, to devise an organizational structure for a cyber-focused Major Command (MAJCOM). Some outside the service perceived this as a "mission grab" by the USAF, while others within the Air Force questioned the decision to create a Major Command focused on the cyber domain. Lt Gen Elder successfully built an "on-ramp" for the new MAJCOM, but an organizational crisis resulted in the creation of a cyber-focused Numbered Air Force rather than a cyber-focused Major Command. After this change, Lt Gen Elder and Major General William Lord (AFCYBER's Provisional Commander) hired a team to develop how cyber operations would contribute in concept and execution toward joint operations. This thesis describes in unprecedented detail the evolution of AFCYBER, identifies the USAF s response to the bureaucratic challenges, and assesses the organizational response to the sweeping SECAF-directed changes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA626419
Entities
People
- Johannes Moore
Organizations
- Air University